CN205177674U - Luminous sub -assembly and keyboard sub -assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to lighting assemblies and keyboard assemblies. A problem to be solved by an embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a light emitting assembly for an input device with reduced size, uniform illumination and better heat dissipation effect. The light emitting assembly includes a phosphor structure; a first side wall formed of a transparent material and disposed on a first side of the phosphor structure; a second side wall formed of the transparent material and disposed on the phosphor structure. a second sidewall on the side; an epoxy layer adjacent to the phosphor structure; and a light source within the phosphor structure. The technical effect achieved by one embodiment of the present disclosure is that a light emitting assembly for an input device is realized with reduced size, uniform illumination and better heat dissipation effect.

Description

Luminous assembly and keyboard assembly

technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to keypad assemblies for electronic devices, and more particularly to a light emitting assembly within a switch housing of a keypad assembly for electronic devices.

Background technique

Electronic devices typically include one or more input devices, such as keyboards, touch pads, mice, touch screens, etc., to enable a user to interact with the device. These devices may be integrated into electronic devices or may exist separately. An input device can transmit a signal to another device through a wired or wireless connection. For example, a keyboard may be integrated into the housing (eg, housing) of a laptop computer. Touchpads and other input devices may likewise be integrated into associated electronic devices.

Illuminating an input surface or structure is useful when using an associated electronic device in a dimly lit or dark environment. Specifically, conventional keyboards typically illuminate the perimeter of the keyboard and/or the glyphs located on each keycap to aid in the visibility of the keyboard in low light conditions. However, to illuminate the keyboard, conventional keyboards often include a variety of components, including a set of lights, usually on one or more light strips, a light guide panel for directing light, and/or for redirecting stray light And enhance the illuminance of the lamp on the reflective surface.

The various components may require additional space within the housing to accommodate the keyboard, contrary to the desire to reduce the size of the keyboard. Additionally, the light strip may be a fraction of the size of the entire keyboard and may include fewer lights than the total number of keycaps in the keyboard. As a result, the light strip may illuminate the keyboard unevenly. Finally, due to the number of components and/or configuration of the components used to illuminate a conventional keyboard, undesired heat may be generated within the keyboard and/or the electronic device.

Utility model content

A lighting assembly for a keyboard assembly is disclosed herein. The light emitting assembly includes a phosphor structure, a transparent material on opposite side surfaces of the phosphor structure, and an epoxy layer over the entire rear surface of the phosphor structure and the transparent material. The light emitting assembly also includes a masking layer over the entire top surface of: the phosphor structure, the transparent material, and the epoxy layer. The lighting assembly further includes a light source within the phosphor structure for emitting light.

The keyboard assembly may include a switch housing formed from a substantially transparent material. The switch housing includes a switch opening and a light source recess adjacent to the switch opening. The keyboard assembly also includes a keycap located above the switch housing and a lighting assembly located within the light source recess of the switch housing. In addition, the light emitting assembly includes a phosphor structure, a transparent material on opposite side surfaces of the phosphor structure, a mask layer over the entire top surface of the phosphor structure, and the transparent material. The lighting assembly also includes a light source within the phosphor structure for emitting light through the switch housing.

Embodiments may take the form of a keyboard assembly including keycaps, a light source operably connected to the keycaps and configured to illuminate the keycaps, and a light source housing at least partially surrounding the light source. The light source housing is operable to prevent light from emanating from the light source housing in a first direction and a second direction. The light source housing is also operable to transmit light diverging in a third direction opposite the first direction, the second direction toward the keycap, as measured from the light source.

An object of one embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a light emitting assembly for an input device with reduced size, uniform illumination and better heat dissipation effect.

According to one aspect, a light emitting assembly includes: a phosphor structure; a first side wall formed of a transparent material and disposed on a first side of the phosphor structure; a first side wall formed of the transparent material and disposed on the first side of the phosphor structure. a second sidewall on a second side of the phosphor structure; an epoxy layer adjacent to the phosphor structure; and a light source within the phosphor structure.

According to one embodiment, the phosphor structure includes: a front surface; a rear surface opposite to the front surface and connected to the front surface through a first side and a second side of the phosphor structure, and the The front surface forms the front face of the lighting assembly.

According to one embodiment, the first side and the second side of the phosphor structure are opposite to each other; the epoxy resin layer is adjacent to the rear surface; and the epoxy resin layer forms the rear surface of the light emitting assembly .

According to one embodiment, the layer of epoxy extends over at least one of the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

According to one embodiment, said light source is embedded in said phosphor structure.

According to one embodiment, the light emitting assembly further comprises an opaque mask layer extending over the top of said phosphor structure.

According to one embodiment, the light emitting assembly further comprises a heat dissipation layer adjacent to said mask layer.

According to one embodiment, the light emitting assembly further comprises electrical leads connected to the light source, disposed within the lumiphor structure and extending towards the rear surface.

According to one embodiment, a portion of said electrical lead is within said epoxy layer; and said epoxy layer waterproofs said electrical lead.

According to one embodiment, the shape of the lighting assembly is a parallelepiped.

According to another aspect, a keyboard assembly includes: a switch housing defining a switch opening and a light source recess formed in a sidewall of the switch opening; a keycap positioned above the switch housing; The lighting assembly in the light source recess. The light-emitting assembly includes: a light-emitting structure; and a transparent side wall adjacent to the light-emitting structure; wherein, the light source transmits light through the transparent side wall and the light-emitting structure; and the switch housing transmits light from the light-emitting structure Light from the light emitting structure is directed to the keycap.

According to one embodiment, the light emitting structure is formed of a phosphor material.

According to one embodiment, said light source emits light through said switch housing formed of said transparent material.

According to one embodiment, the keycap includes transparent characters formed through the keycap.

According to one embodiment, the light source emits light to at least one of: the periphery of the keycap; and the transparent characters formed by the keycap.

According to one embodiment, the lighting assembly is surrounded on three sides by side walls of the light source recess.

According to one embodiment, the keyboard assembly further includes a transparent resin disposed on the light emitting assembly, between the light emitting assembly and a side wall of the light source recess.

A technical effect of one embodiment of the present disclosure is that a light emitting assembly for an input device is realized with reduced size, uniform illumination and better heat dissipation effect.

Description of drawings

The present disclosure can be readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like structural elements, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic device including a low-travel keyboard assembly according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a lighting assembly of a short-travel keyboard assembly according to an embodiment.

3 illustrates a cross-sectional front view of the LED assembly taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, according to an embodiment.

Figure 4 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the LED assembly taken along line 4-4 in Figure 2, according to an embodiment.

5 illustrates an exploded view of a single key of the short-travel keyboard assembly of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment.

6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the short-travel keyboard assembly including the switch housing, taken along line CS-CS in FIG. 5 , according to an embodiment.

7 illustrates a top view of a switch housing of a short-travel keyboard assembly including the light assembly of FIGS. 2-4, according to an embodiment.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of illuminating an input surface.

detailed description

This application is U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/058,081, filed September 30, 2014, entitled "Keyboard Assembly," and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/129,843, filed March 7, 2015, entitled "Light Assembly for Keyboard Assembly" , U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/058,074, filed September 30, 2014, titled "Keyboard Assembly," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/129,841, filed March 7, 2015, titled "Key for Keyboard Assembly," 2014 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/058,067, filed September 30, 2015, titled "Keyboard Assembly," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/129,840, filed March 7, 2015, titled "Dome Switch for Keyboard Assembly," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/058,087, filed on March 30, entitled "Keyboard Assembly," and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/129,842, filed March 7, 2015, entitled "Venting System for Keyboard Assembly" The disclosures of these applications, to which priority is claimed, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the various drawings. It should be understood that the following description is not intended to limit the various embodiments to one preferred embodiment. On the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the claims.

The following disclosure generally relates to keypad structures for electronic devices, and more specifically, to light emitting structures within switch housings of keypad assemblies for electronic devices. A light emitting structure may be a light emitting assembly formed from several different elements.

In particular embodiments, the light emitting assembly may be formed from a light source within a phosphor structure adjacent to, in contact with, or at least partially surrounded by layers or materials, including: sidewalls ( The sidewalls may be formed from a transparent or opaque material); epoxy (the epoxy may form the sidewalls and may be opaque or transparent); a masking layer; and/or a heat dissipating layer. The light emitting assembly generates light and/or transmits light in directions, such as through one or more of the layers and phosphor structures. In some embodiments, the various layers can restrict light from passing through only three sides of the assembly.

The light exiting the light emitting assemblies generally has a common wavelength, and thus a common color. Where the light passing through all light-transmissive sides of the assembly is equal in wavelength and color, the light can illuminate an input surface such as a keycap. Accordingly, the keycap is substantially uniformly illuminated with reduced or no dark spots and/or color shifts. Additionally, due to the configuration of the layers and materials forming the light emitting assembly, the light emitting assembly can be parallelepiped and compact, thereby reducing the occupied space within the keyboard assembly. Finally, where each key of the keyboard assembly includes a separate lighting assembly, the keys and/or keycaps may be illuminated individually or selectively.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1-7. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the detailed description given herein with reference to these figures is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic device 100 including a short-travel keyboard assembly 200, which may include a lighting assembly for illuminating the keyboard assembly 200, as described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2-4. describe. In a non-limiting example, as shown in FIG. 1 , electronic device 100 may be a laptop computer. It should be understood, however, that electronic device 100 may be configured as any suitable electronic device that may utilize short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . Other embodiments may implement the electronic device 100 differently, such as like a desktop computer, tablet computing device, phone, gaming device, display, digital music player, wearable computing device or display, health monitoring device, and the like.

The electronic device 100 may include a top case 102 . Top case 102 may take the form of an outer protective casing or shell for electronic device 100 and various internal components of electronic device 100 (eg, short-travel keyboard assembly 200 ). The top case 102 may be formed as a single, unitary component, or may have a set of distinct components that may be configured to be coupled to each other, as discussed herein. Additionally, top case 102 may be formed from any suitable material that provides a protective casing or shell for electronic device 100 and the various components included in electronic device 100 . In non-limiting examples, top case 102 may be made of metal, ceramic, rigid plastic or another polymer, fiber matrix composite, or the like.

The short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be included in the electronic device 100 to allow a user to interact with the electronic device 100 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 is located within and/or can be received by the top case 102 of the electronic device 100 . The short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may include a set of keycaps 300 that are located within the top case 102 of the electronic device 100 and partially protrude through and/or are surrounded by the top case 102 of the electronic device 100 . As discussed herein, keycap 300 is depressed and displaced to at least partially collapse the dome switch of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 , which in turn creates an electrical signal or input to electronic device 100 .

As discussed herein, the keycaps 300 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be illuminated by a light emitting assembly. The illuminated assembly of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 is located in a switch housing surrounding the dome switch, wherein the switch housing and the dome switch are located under the keycap 300 . That is, each individual keycap 300 includes an individual switch housing that includes an individual lighting assembly therein. As a result, a single light emitting assembly illuminates each corresponding keycap 300 . This improves the brightness and light uniformity of each keycap as well as between keycaps.

Additionally, since each keycap 300 is illuminated by a single corresponding lighting assembly, the keycaps 300 of the keyboard assembly 200 may be illuminated individually or selectively. In some embodiments, other illumination schemes may be used. For example, adjacent keys may be illuminated by a single lighting assembly (eg, using one lighting assembly for each group of keys). In other embodiments, a row or column of keys may be illuminated by a single lighting assembly. In still other embodiments, the light source assemblies can be located at different points below the keyboard, so that a relatively small number of assemblies can illuminate the entire keyboard (or all keycaps of the keyboard). In any or all embodiments, the light source assembly may be located inside or outside the switch housing, under the keycap, or under some portion of the housing. Further, the light source assemblies described herein may be used with other input devices including mice, track pads, buttons, switches, touch-sensitive and/or force-sensitive surfaces, and the like.

The light source assembly of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 is formed from a light source within a phosphor structure surrounded by various layers or materials, which may include one or more transparent materials, one or more an epoxy layer and one or more masking layers. The various layers allow light to emanate from only three sides of the assembly. Further, the emitted light has exactly the same wavelength and color. The keycaps 300 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 are illuminated by the light emitting assembly with a consistent visible light color and no difference in the illuminated light color or intensity, where the wavelength and visible light color are identical on all sides of the assembly .

Additionally, as discussed herein, due to the configuration of the various layers and materials forming the light emitting assembly, the light emitting assembly may be a parallelepiped. The parallelepiped shape of the lighted assembly of the short-travel keyboard assembly can reduce the overall size of the lighted assembly and/or make the lighted assembly substantially compact. With the reduced size, the required amount of space occupied by the lighting assembly within the keyboard assembly 200 can also be reduced. This ultimately allows the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 and/or electronic device 100 to also have a reduced size. It should be understood that substantially any other geometric or non-geometric three-dimensional shape may also be used for the lighting assembly.

In the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 1 , short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be located within and/or may be received by electronic device 100 where electronic device 100 is a laptop computer. In additional embodiments, short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be a distinct, stand-alone component and may be in electronic communication, whether wired or wireless, with electronic device 100 . Short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be configured to allow a user to interact with electronic device 100 .

FIG. 2 illustrates light emitting assembly 201 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 (see FIGS. 1 and 5-7). Lighting assembly 201 may emit light that propagates from the assembly, enters the switch housing, and is redirected by the switch housing to illuminate keycap 300 . Given the space constraints of the light source recess 404 of the switch housing 400 (see FIGS. 5-7 ), as discussed herein, the lighting assembly 201 may be configured to fit within the light source recess 404 and provide keycap 300 with Light, included during operation of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200.

The light emitting assembly can have a phosphor structure 202 and a transparent material 204 on opposing side surfaces of the phosphor structure 202 . In some embodiments, the transparent material may be located on or otherwise adjacent to the phosphor material, either completely or partially. The phosphor structure may be a material doped with phosphor, and may cover the light source 220 . In some embodiments, the phosphor structure can change the wavelength of light emitted by the light source, thereby changing its color. Further, in some embodiments, the phosphor structure can luminesce (eg, emit light) when the light source is activated. Accordingly, the phosphor structure may be a light emitting structure. As discussed herein, phosphor structures 202 and transparent material 204 may allow light from a light source of light emitting assembly 201 to be emitted through the respective portions.

Transparent material 204 may allow light to propagate therethrough. Any suitable material can be used as the transparent material, including various plastics, polymers, ceramics, glass, and the like.

The light source 220 of the light emitting assembly 201 may be located within the phosphor structure 202 . As shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3 and 4 , the light source 220 may be located substantially at the center of the phosphor structure 202 of the light emitting assembly 201 and substantially contained within the phosphor structure 202 . Light source 220 may emit light through phosphor structure 202 and transparent material 204, and the light ultimately passes through switch housing 400 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 5-7. In some embodiments, light source 220 may be off-center relative to phosphor structure 202 and/or light emitting assembly 201 .

A wide variety of different light sources 220 may be used in lighting assembly 201 . For example, the light source 220 may be a light emitting diode, an organic light emitting diode, quantum dots, a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, or the like. Further, in some embodiments, the light source can emit light of various colors. As an example, the light source may be a multicolor LED, and the color emitted by the LED may vary based on user input, operating status, software or firmware commands, and the like. Some embodiments may also use multiple light sources 220 in a single lighting assembly 201 .

The light emitting assembly 201 may also have an epoxy layer 210 disposed over the phosphor structure 202 and the entire back surface 212 of the transparent material 204 . In one embodiment, epoxy layer 210 may be substantially larger than phosphor structures 202 and transparent material 204 in one or more dimensions, although this may vary between embodiments. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , epoxy layer 210 may be much wider than phosphor structure 202 and transparent material 204 , an example of this is shown in FIG. 4 .

Returning to FIG. 2 , epoxy layer 210 may be adjacent or contiguous to back surface 212 of phosphor structure 202 and transparent material 204 , which may substantially waterproof light emitting assembly 201 and its components. In a non-limiting example, epoxy layer 210 may be substantially transparent to allow light from light source 220 to pass through epoxy layer 210 . Alternatively, the epoxy layer 210 may be an opaque epoxy and prevent light from passing through the epoxy layer 210 . In some embodiments, transparent material 204 may be formed on the phosphor structure; likewise, in some embodiments, epoxy may be formed directly on the back surface (eg, back). In other embodiments, transparent material and/or epoxy layers may be deposited or laminated on their corresponding surfaces rather than formed.

The light emitting assembly 201 may also include a mask layer 218 . Masking layer 218 may be located over phosphor structure 202 , transparent material 204 and/or epoxy layer 210 of light emitting assembly 201 . In the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 2, the phosphor structure 202, the transparent material 204, and the epoxy layer 210 of the light emitting assembly 201 can have top surfaces that can be planarly aligned and can be substantially composed of Masking layer 218 covers. The mask layer 218 may be formed of an opaque material to prevent light from the light source 220 from being emitted through the mask layer 218 .

With continued reference to FIG. 2 , cross-sectional views of LED assembly 201 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 . Specifically, FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional front view of the LED assembly 201 taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, and FIG. Sectional side view. As shown in FIG. 4, light source 220 may have one or more electrical leads electrically coupled to light source 220 and substrate 228, such as printed circuit board (PCB) 500 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 (see FIGS. 5-7 ). 222 to provide power to the light source 220. In the non-limiting example shown in FIGS. 2-4 , electrical leads 222 electrically couple light source 220 to substrate 228 so that substrate 228 can provide power to light source 220 as discussed herein. As also shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 , electrical leads 222 may be located in phosphor structure 202 and may extend toward back surface 212 of phosphor structure 202 . Portions of the wires 222 of the light source 220 may also extend through or within the epoxy layer 210 such that the epoxy layer 210 seals (eg, waterproofs) the electrical wires 222 and ultimately the light source 220. Sealed to prevent undesired shorting of the light source 220 due to exposure to moisture. As shown in FIG. 4 , a portion of the electrical lead 222 disposed and sealed within the epoxy layer 210 can be an end portion 224 of the lead 222 that can be electrically coupled to the light source contact 234 of the substrate 228 and/or It is in electronic communication therewith to receive power for the light source 220 .

The light emitting assembly 201 may also have a heat dissipation layer 226 over the mask layer 218 . The heat dissipation layer 226 may be formed of a heat-resistant material that can dissipate heat generated by the light source 220 and light generated by the light source 220 . As light is emitted from light source 220 , the light may contact masking layer 218 but may not be emitted through opaque masking layer 218 . However, the light and light source 220 may generate heat on or in the mask layer 218 . A heat dissipating layer 226 may be disposed on masking layer 218 to dissipate heat exposed to masking layer 218 , which in turn reduces or prevents chemical and/or physical changes to masking layer 218 . In some embodiments, the masking layer and the heat dissipation layer may be the same layer, or be formed of the same material. For example, a thermally conductive masking layer can be used.

In some embodiments, transparent material 204 , masking layer 218 , heat dissipation layer 226 , and/or epoxy layer 210 may be secured to phosphor structure 202 . This may be accomplished by any or all of additional elements such as adhesives or fasteners, inherent properties of one or more portions of lighting assembly 201 , or methods of fabrication of the assembly. It should be understood that the various parts of light transmission assembly 201 need not be fixed to each other. For example, they may instead be affixed to a substrate 228 (such as a printed circuit board 500 ) or to a switch housing 400 (see FIGS. 5 and 6 ).

2-4 show rays labeled L _1-3 emitted from light source 220 . These rays are examples only and are not intended to suggest any limiting angles for emitted light. Instead, the light source 220 can emit light at any angle and direction, including the illustrated light coming out of a plane. Thus, for example, a light source may emit light in a hemispherical pattern, an approximately spherical pattern, a conical pattern, and the like. Accordingly, rays are intended to illustrate general example directions of emitted light, and in particular how light may pass through certain surfaces of light emitting assembly 201 .

In one embodiment, light can be emitted through three sides of the light emitting assembly 201 . In the non-limiting examples shown in FIGS. 4-6 , light (L ₁ ) may be emitted through the front side of the light emitting assembly 201 including the phosphor structure 202 . Likewise, light (L ₂ ) can be emitted through the first sidewall 230 defined by the transparent material 204 . In addition, light (L ₃ ) may be emitted through the second side wall 232 of the light emitting assembly 201 including the transparent material 204 . The second side surface 232 may be opposite to the first side surface 230 . The first and second side surfaces may be sidewalls.

The light (L ₁ ) emitted through the front side of the light emitting assembly 201 may have a wavelength substantially equal to that of the light (L ₂ ) emitted through the first transparent side wall 230 and the light (L ₃ ) emitted through the second transparent side wall 232 the wavelength of the wavelength. Since the wavelengths of the light (L _1-3 ) are equal, the visible light colors of the light (L _1-3 ) may also be completely the same or substantially the same. That is, the visible light color of the light (L ₁ ) emitted through the front of the light emitting assembly 201 may be different from the visible light color of the light (L ₂ ) emitted through the first transparent side wall 230 and the light emitted through the second transparent side wall 232 ( The visible light color of L ₃ ) is substantially the same.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the light emitting assembly 201 may be a parallelepiped, or substantially a parallelepiped. Further, the phosphor structure 202 and the transparent material 204 on the opposite side of the surface of the phosphor structure 202 may be substantially parallelepiped-shaped. Other embodiments may use any suitable shape and/or size of light emitting assembly 201, including irregular shapes. Likewise, the shape of the phosphor structure 202 need not match the shape of the overall assembly.

Due to its geometry, lighting assembly 201 may require less space in short-travel keyboard assembly 200, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 5-7. Further, the aforementioned transparent material may form one or more transparent side walls of the light emitting assembly. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the opposing sidewalls may be formed from a transparent material. Similarly, the back or rear surface of the lighting assembly may be formed from epoxy or another suitable material, and may be opaque. The front side of the light emitting assembly 201 may be formed by the front surface of the phosphor structure. A masking layer may overlie the upper surfaces of the phosphor structures and sidewalls, thereby defining the top of the assembly. As also shown in FIG. 2, the phosphor structure may adjoin the sidewalls and opaque material forming the backside, although other embodiments may include spaces between any or all of the foregoing. Further and as shown in FIGS. 2-4, the phosphor structure may fill the interior of the light emitting assembly as defined by the sidewalls, backside, and masking layer.

Additionally, due to the geometry of light emitting assembly 201 and due to the inclusion of transparent material 204 on opposite sides of phosphor structure 202, the wavelength of light emitted by light source 220, and the resulting visible light color, may be visible on all sides of light emitting assembly 201. basically the same. That is, the greater the thickness of the phosphor structure 202 through which the light from the light source 220 must travel, the more the wavelength of the light will vary. However, the wavelength of light from light emitting assembly 201 can be adjusted by adding or removing more transparent material 204 . This ensures that the wavelength of the light (L ₁ ) emitted through the front side (including the front surface of the phosphor structure 202 ) is equal to the light (L ₂ , L ₃ ) emitted through the first and second side walls including the transparent material 204 wavelength. Also, as discussed herein, where the wavelengths of the light emitted by the light emitting assembly 201 are equal, the visible light colors of the light emitted by the light emitting assembly 201 may also be identical or substantially identical, for the keys of the keyboard assembly 200. Cap 300 creates a uniform lighting color (see Figures 5-7).

5 and 6 illustrate example key structures for short-travel keyboard assembly 200 using light emitting assembly 201 (see FIG. 6 ), according to non-limiting examples. In particular, FIG. 5 shows a detailed exploded view of a portion of the top case 102 of the electronic device 100 and a single key structure 502 using the lighting assembly 201 as discussed herein. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a single key assembly 502 taken along line CS-CS of FIG. 5 . It should be understood that similarly named or similarly numbered components may function in a substantially similar manner, may include similar materials, and/or may include similar interactions with other components. Redundant descriptions of these components are omitted for clarity.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the top case 102 (see FIG. 1 ) of the electronic device 100 may include one or more keyholes 104 formed therefrom. The top case 102 can also include ribs or other supports 106 between or around the keycaps 300, and can substantially surround the keycaps 300 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 and/or can be located within the short-travel keyboard assembly 200. In the space between the keycaps 300 of the keyboard assembly 200 .

Short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be made from several layers or components placed adjacent to each other and/or coupled to each other. Components located in various layers may be placed adjacent to each other and/or coupled to each other, and may be sandwiched between top case 102 and bottom case (not shown) of electronic device 100 .

The keycaps 300 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may be located at least partially within the keyholes 104 of the top case 102 . Each of the keycaps 300 may include characters 302 on a top or exposed surface of the keycap 300 . Each of the characters 302 of the keycap 300 may be substantially transparent so that light is emitted through and/or illuminates the keycap 300 . In the non-limiting example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , keycap 300 may be substantially opaque, except for characters 302 , which may be transparent so that light is emitted through keycap 300 . Additionally, the perimeter of the keycap 300 may be substantially illuminated by light emitted between the keycap 300 and the space between the skeleton ribs 106 of the top case 102 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , the keycap 300 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may include retaining members 304 , 306 on the keycap 300 . More specifically, keycap 300 may include at least one first retention member 304 on a first side 308 and at least one second retention member 306 on a second side 310 of keycap 300 opposite first side 308 . The retention members 304 , 306 may be formed, positioned, or retained on the bottom surface 312 of the keycap 300 adjacent the switch housing 400 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . Keycap 300 may be coupled within short-travel keyboard assembly 200 using retention members 304 , 306 , and specifically, keycap 300 is coupled to hinge mechanism 322 coupled to PCB 500 . As shown in FIG. 6 , hinge mechanism 322 may include any suitable hinge mechanism 322 capable of moving keycap 300 from an undepressed (e.g., resting) state to a depressed state, including, but not limited to, a butterfly hinge mechanism, a scissor hinge mechanism, retractable hinge mechanism or sliding hinge mechanism. Hinge mechanism 322 may be coupled to and/or positioned within a recess 502 formed in PCB 500 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 .

The keycaps 300 can be positioned over the corresponding switch housing 400 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 and can interact with the corresponding switch housing 400 . Each switch housing 400 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may include a switch opening 402 extending completely through the switch housing 400 , and a light source recess 404 formed within each switch housing 400 . Some switch housings 400 may define multiple light source recesses 404, each of which may house its own lighting assembly 201 or assemblies. Further, the light source recess 404 can be sized such that one or more of its interior walls engage the exterior of the lighting assembly 201, or there is a gap between any or all of the interior walls of the light source recess and the exterior of the lighting assembly. .

As shown in FIG. 6 , the switch opening 402 can receive/accommodate a dome switch 406 that can collapse in response to the keycap 300 being translated. The dome switch collapses (or partially collapses) to create an electrical connection that serves as a signal to the electronic device 100 (see FIG. 1 ). Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6 , the light source recess 404 of the switch housing 400 can receive the lighting assembly 201 that can emit light through the switch housing 400 to around the perimeter of the keycap 300 and/or through the keycap. Transparent characters 302 (see FIG. 5 ) of 300 provide light. Additionally, in another non-limiting example, light emitting assembly 201 may emit light directly toward recess 502 to help illuminate the perimeter of keycap 300 . Although discussed here as a dome switch, it should be understood that the switch opening 402 may receive or house a different type of switch.

As also shown in FIG. 6 , the switch housing 400 may include a main body portion 410 and a top panel 412 integrally formed and molded to the main body portion 410 . The main body portion 410 of the switch housing 400 may include a switch opening 402 and a light source recess 404 adjacent to the switch opening 402 . Body portion 410 may be directly coupled to PCB 500 as shown in FIG. 6 .

The main body portion 410 and the top panel 412 of the switch housing 400 may be formed from different materials. That is, body portion 410 may be formed from a first material having substantially rigid properties for supporting keycaps 300 and/or protecting various components included within switch housing 400 during operation of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 (eg, dome switch 406, lighting assembly 201). The first material forming the main body portion 410 of the switch housing 400 may also be transparent and/or reflective to direct light out of the switch housing and toward the keycap 300 . In a non-limiting example, the light source 220 of the lighting assembly 201 can emit light through the transparent switch housing 400, which can substantially reflect the light and/or transmit the light through the transparent material of the switch housing 400 to illuminate the keycap 300. The perimeter of the characters 302 and/or the keycap 300.

Top panel 412 may act as a light guide to direct light emitted from light emitting assembly 201 to keycap 300 . Top panel 412 may include structures configured to focus light on or around a particular area of the keycap, as well as reflective structures configured to direct light toward the keycap. For example, lenses, apertures, etc. can emit light from the top panel, while the top surface of the top panel can reflect light incident on the panel.

The top panel 412 of the switch housing 400 may be integrally formed with the main body portion 410 . As one example, as shown in FIG. 6 , a top panel 412 may be molded on the body portion 410 and may cover the switch opening 402 of the body portion 410 . In a non-limiting example, top panel 412 may be integrally formed with body portion 410 using a double-shot shell forming process. Top panel 412 may be formed from a second material different from the first material forming body portion 410, which may be substantially flexible/deformable. As discussed herein, top panel 412 can flex significantly and protect dome switch 406 when keycap 300 is depressed. In addition to being flexible, the second material forming top panel 412 may have substantially transparent properties that allow light to pass through top panel 412 to keycap 300 and/or substantially reflective to redirect light toward keycap 300 properties.

Top panel 412 may be positioned over switch opening 402 to not only redirect light toward keycap 300, but also substantially protect dome switch 406 from wear and tear. That is, when force is applied to keycap 300 to depress keycap 300, keycap 300 may contact top panel 412 of switch housing 400, which may then deform and collapse dome switch 406 to form an electrical connection. By acting as a barrier between keycaps 300 and dome switches 406 , top panel 412 can reduce wear and tear on dome switches 406 over the life of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 .

The top panel 412 may also include a first contact protrusion 418 positioned on a first surface 420 of the top panel 412 . The first contact protrusion 418 may be positioned directly adjacent to the second contact protrusion 340 on the bottom surface 312 of the keycap 300 . The first contact protrusion 418 of the top panel 412 and the second contact protrusion 340 of the keycap 300 can contact each other when the keycap 300 is depressed, and can distribute the application more evenly when the keycap 300 is depressed. The force applied to the top panel 412, and subsequently to the dome switch 406. By distributing forces through top panel 412 , wear and tear on dome switch 406 may be further reduced over the life of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 .

The switch housing 400 may also include a top portion 426 above the light source recess 404 . More specifically, the main body portion 410 of the switch housing 400 can include a top portion 426 positioned above the light source recess 404 and the light emitting assembly positioned within the light source recess 404 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the top portion 426 of the switch housing 400 may be integrally formed with the switch housing 400 , specifically the main body portion 410 of the switch housing 400 . It should be understood, however, that the top portion 426 of the switch housing 400 may be formed from different components or materials that may be coupled to the main body portion 410 of the switch housing 400 . Top portion 426 of switch housing 400 may be substantially opaque to prevent light from lighting assembly 201 from emitting through top portion 426 . In a non-limiting example, substantially opaque top portion 426 may function in conjunction with masking layer 218 of light emitting assembly 201, as discussed herein with reference to FIG. 4, to prevent light from passing directly toward keycap 300 and/or Or pass through the top portion 426 of the switch housing 400 .

The short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may also include a printed circuit board (PCB) 500 located below the group of switch housings 400 . PCB 500 may be similar to substrate 228 discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 2-4 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , switch housing 400 may be coupled to PCB 500 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . More specifically, PCB 500 may include a number of notches 502 within PCB 500 , wherein each notch 502 of PCB 500 may receive a corresponding switch housing 400 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . Each switch housing 400 can be positioned completely within the recess 502 of the PCB 500 and coupled to the surface of the recess 502 . PCB 500 may provide a rigid support structure for switch housing 400 , as well as the various components forming short-travel keyboard assembly 200 .

PCB 500 may also include one or more holes 504 extending through each of notches 502 . That is, hole 504 may pass completely through PCB 500 in notch 502 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the holes 504 of the PCB 500 may be substantially aligned with the switch openings 402 of the switch housing 400 of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . Hole 504 of PCB 500 may be used to receive a portion of the dome switch positioned within switch housing 400 when the dome switch is collapsed.

As shown in FIG. 6 and as discussed with reference to FIGS. 2-4 , wires 222 of lighting assembly 201 , and in particular light source 220 , may be in electrical contact with light source contacts 234 extending from or through PCB 500 . The light source contacts 234 may communicate with a light source driver 530 located on the second surface 518 of the PCB 500 . PCB 500 may have a number of light source drivers 530 located on second surface 518 , wherein each light source driver 530 corresponds to and is in electronic communication with light emitting assembly 201 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . The light source driver 530 located on the second surface 518 of the PCB 500 may be configured to provide power and/or control to the lighting assembly 201 during operation of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 included in the electronic device 100 (see FIG. 1 ). It should be understood that FIG. 6 , which shows a single key assembly, may represent some or all of the keys for short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . In the case where each key assembly of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 is configured similarly to the key assembly shown in FIG. 6 , each switch housing 400 of each key of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 Both can have a light emitting assembly 201 . As a result, each individual keycap 300 can be illuminated by a corresponding individual light emitting assembly 201 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 may include a keyboard cover 600 positioned below the PCB 500 . Keypad cover 600 may be formed from conductive adhesive sheet 602 adhered to PCB 500 opposite switch housing 400 . The conductive adhesive sheet 602 of the shroud 600 may include a vent system 604 that vents air expelled from the switch housing 400 when the dome switch 406 collapses, as discussed herein. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the vent system 604 may include a set of channels 606 formed in and/or partially through the conductive adhesive sheet 602 of the shield 600 , The channel may be in fluid communication with and/or substantially aligned with the dome switch opening 402 formed in the switch housing 400 and the hole 504 formed through the PCB 500 . The conductive adhesive sheet 602 of the keyboard cover 600 can be used to transmit signals to and from the keyboard assembly 200 of the electronic device 100 during user interaction.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of switch housing 400 including lighting assembly 201 . Masking layer 218 of lighting assembly 201 and top portion 426 of switch housing 400 are omitted in FIG. 7 to clearly illustrate lighting assembly 201 within light source recess 404 of switch housing 400 . As discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6 , masking layer 218 of lighting assembly 201 and top portion 426 of switch housing 400 may prevent light from passing through top portion 426 directly toward keycap 300 . As shown in FIG. 7 , the lighting assembly 201 may be substantially surrounded by three side walls 450 of the light source recess 404 of the switch housing 400 . In one example, light source recess 404 may be surrounded by three side walls 450 to ensure that light emitted by light emitting assembly 201 passes through a substantial portion of switch housing 400 and subsequently illuminates keycaps 300 of short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . That is, by utilizing the sidewall 450 of the light source recess 404 to substantially surround the lighting assembly 201, a substantial portion of the light (L _1-3 ) can pass directly through the switch housing 400, and/or the switch housing 400 can reflect toward the keycap 300 Light (L _1-3 ).

As shown in FIG. 7, the lighting assembly 201 may be surrounded by a curable, transparent resin 236 (hereinafter, "resin 236"), and the resin 236 may be positioned on the side walls of the lighting assembly 201 and the light source recess 404 of the switch housing 400. Between 450. After lighting assembly 201 is positioned within light source recess 404 of switch housing 400, resin 236 may be formed or placed over lighting assembly 201 to retain lighting assembly in light source recess 404 and/or to seal the lighting assembly. 201 to protect from external contaminants (eg, water). Additionally, the resin 236 can help dissipate heat from the light emitting assembly during operation of the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 . Additionally, the transparent nature or properties of resin 236 may allow light to pass through resin 236 toward recess 502 to help illuminate the perimeter of keycap 300, as discussed herein.

Operation of the example embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 8 . Initially, in operation 800, a light source may be activated. In an operation 802, light may be transmitted from a light source and through a light emitting assembly. For example, light may be transmitted through the transparent material and/or phosphor structures of the light emitting assembly. Likewise, light can be blocked from exiting the assembly in certain directions, such as through masking layers and/or epoxy. As light passes through the phosphor, the phosphor material can shift the color of the light, although this is not required.

In operation 804, light may exit the lighting assembly and enter an associated switch housing. The body of the switch housing can redirect light upwards, for example, towards the top panel of the switch housing. In some embodiments, the body (or portions thereof) may be reflective to facilitate light redirection. In other embodiments, the light may not be substantially redirected or may be moderately or minimally redirected. Further, the top panel can act as a light guide to redirect light from the switch housing toward the keycap or other input surface.

In operation 806, light may exit the top panel and be emitted toward the bottom surface of the keycap or other input surface. In operation 808, the light may illuminate characters on the keycap and/or may illuminate the perimeter of the keycap.

Although discussed herein as a keyboard assembly, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments may be used in a wide variety of input devices used in a variety of electronic devices. That is, the short-travel keyboard assembly 200 and the components of the assemblies discussed herein can be used or implemented in a wide variety of input devices for electronic devices, including but not limited to buttons, switches, toggles, ), scroll wheel, and touch screen.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above principles.

Claims (17)

1. A light emitting assembly, comprising:

a phosphor structure;

a first sidewall formed of a transparent material and disposed on a first side of the phosphor structure;

a second sidewall formed of the transparent material and disposed on a second side of the phosphor structure;

an epoxy layer adjacent to the phosphor structure; and

a light source within the phosphor structure.

2. The lighting assembly of claim 1, wherein said phosphor structure comprises:

a front surface;

a back surface opposite the front surface and connected to the front surface by a first side and a second side of the phosphor structure, and

the front surface forms a front face of the light emitting assembly.

3. The lighting assembly of claim 2, wherein:

the first and second sides of the phosphor structure are opposite to each other;

the epoxy layer is adjacent to the back surface; and

the epoxy layer forms a back side of the light emitting assembly.

4. The lighting assembly of claim 3, wherein the epoxy layer extends over at least one of the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

5. The lighting assembly of claim 2, wherein the light source is embedded in the phosphor structure.

6. The lighting assembly of claim 2, further comprising an opaque mask layer extending over a top of the phosphor structure.

7. The light emitting assembly of claim 6, further comprising a heat dissipation layer adjacent to the mask layer.

8. The lighting assembly of claim 2, further comprising electrical leads connected to the light source disposed within the phosphor structure and extending toward the rear surface.

9. The lighting assembly of claim 8, wherein:

a portion of the electrical leads are within the epoxy layer; and

the epoxy layer is waterproof to the electrical leads.

10. The lighting assembly of claim 2, wherein the lighting assembly is parallelepiped in shape.

11. A keyboard assembly, comprising:

a switch housing defining a switch opening and a light source recess formed in a sidewall of the switch opening;

a key cap positioned over the switch housing; and

a light assembly located within the light source recess of the switch housing, and the light assembly includes:

a light emitting structure; and

a transparent sidewall adjacent to the light emitting structure; wherein,

the light source transmits light through the transparent sidewall and the light emitting structure; and

the switch housing directs light from the light emitting structure to the keycap.

12. The keyboard assembly of claim 11, wherein the light emitting structure is formed from a phosphor material.

13. The keyboard assembly of claim 11, wherein the light source emits light through the switch housing formed of the transparent material.

14. The keyboard assembly of claim 11, wherein the keycap includes a transparent character formed through the keycap.

15. The keyboard assembly of claim 14, wherein the light source emits light to at least one of:

a perimeter of the keycap; and

the transparent character formed by the keycap.

16. The keyboard assembly of claim 11, wherein the light emitting assembly is surrounded on three sides by sidewalls of the light source recess.

17. The keyboard assembly of claim 16, further comprising a transparent resin disposed over the light assembly between the light assembly and the side wall of the light source recess.